Windmill



G. VAIAL.

WI'NDNIILL. APPLICATION mab sPT.2`6. 191s. RENEwED MAY s, 192,2.

1 Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

6 T* f' .9 .4 S55-15521;; jl :mlm w E @11K :muy N IIF al 7 Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

UITE. 'a

WINDMILL.

Application' ined september 2e, 191e, serial No. 326,497. Renewed May a, 1922, semi Na. 558,265.

To all w Ito-m t may concern a Be it known that I, GEORGE VAIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Emerado, in the county of Grand Forks and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Windmilh of which the fol-y lowing is a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates to improvements in windmills, an object of the yinvention being to provide an improved construction and mounting for a wind wheel, the latter hav ing pivotal or partial rotary movement horizontally at its intermediate bodykportion and haying blades or vanes extending from the body portion located normally at an incline, certain of said blades ory vanes counterweighted so that when they move in the position to be engaged by a draft of air, are caused to assume a vertical position transversely while the other blades or Vanes are caused to assume horizontal position transversely and thus have a feathering action on the air until they reach a position where they in turn assume a vertical position transversely so that a maximum of surface is presented at oneside of the wheel to the draft of air and a minimum o f surface is presented at the other side of the wheel to reduce the resist ance to the `turning movement. s t A- further object is to provide an improved construction of -wind wheel ywhich is hori zontally disposed and has a horizontal pivotaly movement on a vertical drive shaft, which pivotal movement is controlled by the draft of air so'as to bringt-he blades or vanes successively into position to receive the force of the drafty of air.l

A further object is to provide a device of the character stated, which is of extremely simple construction, which can be manufactured-and sold at a reasonably low' price, and which will be operated by a draft of air from any direction.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l is a view in side elevation illustrating my improved wind wheel in a normal position when no draft of air is directed thereupon;

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure l; Figure 3 is a top plan View;

Figure 4 isa view in side elevation showing a position of the parts when a draft of air is directed against the wind wheel; and

Figure 5 is an end view ofFigure 4.

l represents a support and 2 a' vertical drive shaft mounted in the support and having a relatively short horizontal shaft 3 at its upper end on which my improved wind wheel 4 is mounted. The wind wheel has a central body portion, the members of which are positioned at a right angle to each other, as indicated by the reference numeral l2, and a bearing'sleeve 5 is located at the angle of said body portion and mounted to-turn or partially turn on the shaft 3.

From the ends of the body portion l2 normally inclined blades or vain 6, 7, Sand 9 project. These blades are arranged in pairs, the blades 6 and 7 being/at the one end of the body portion yand the blades 8 and 9 at the opposite end. Ther blades 7 and 9 have counterweight-s l0 and ll respectively at their free ends which assist the latter in as-y suming a. vertical position as they reach a position to be driven bya draft of air, as will now be explained. l

By reference to Figures l, 2 and 3, it'will be noted that normally ywhen no draftof air is upon the wind wheel, all of the blades or Vanes 6, 7, S and 9 are inclined transversely. As soon as a draft of air is directed against the wind wheel onepair of blades or vanes immediately assumes a vertical position transversel while the other set or pair assumes a fforizontal position transversely which is a feathering position, andk permits the, wind wheel to turn halfway around when this last-named pair of blades or vanes will assume a vertical position. These changing positions from vertical to hori-` zontal of the blades or vanes is permitted by the pivotal action of the body portion 12 on the shaft 3, and said pivotal movement is limited by the body portion engaging the vertical shaft 2 so that it is impossible to pivot or turn the blades a distance greater than that which is necessary to bring them to an approximate vertical position.

1While I refer to horizontal and vertical positions of the blades, it is, of course, to be understood that this language refers merely to the movement of the blades transversely as they are always maintained at an angle or inclination longitudially and the pairs of blades or vanes at each end of the body portion are at an angle to each other. By reason of this construction the blades or vanes at one side of the Wheel receive the full force of the draft of air While the blades or vanes at the. other, sideof the Wheel are in a feathering position until they reach a point Where they in `turn.

assume a vertical position transversely and receive the full blast of air.

. It will be noted that when the wind Wheel is in', operation,L the vertically disposed blades-or vanes Will be in horizontal plane belon1 the planeof the bearing sleeve, While the blades orl vanes at the other end Will be in a horizontal plane above the horizontal planeof the lbearing sleeve. This is shown clearlyin Figure Ll. When the Wind Wheel swings around, theforee of the air assisted bythe tendency of the blades or vanes to balanceeach'other, will compel the blades or vanes Which have been above the horizontal plane ofthe bearing to. fall to a vertical position below, the horizontal plane of the bearing and elevatethe other pair of blades or` vanes.y In other Words, the blades or vanes alternatelyshift from a plane above the plane of the bearing to a plane below and in so doing, move from a normally horizontal position to. a normally vertical posi-l tion `having reference to the transverse dimension ,ofthe blades or vanes.

Various slightchanges maybe made in thelgeneral lform and, arrangement of parts described Without departingfrom the invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations .as v'fairly fall Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A Wind Wheel, having a horizontal bearing and a vertical pivot, a pair of blades or vanes on each end of thevvind Wheel, the pair of blades or vanes on one end of the Wind Wheel, when, the latter is in operation, being located below the horizontal plane of the horizontal bearing, and the other pair ofblades or vanes beingl in a plane above said horizontal bearing.

2. A Wind Wheel, comprising an intermediate body portion, a bearing sleeve eX- tenvding longitudinallyof the body portion, and a pair of angularly disposed blades or vanes extending from each end of the body portion.

'3.' A` `vvind Wheel having a horizontally disposed bearing at its intermediate portion, a pair of angularly disposed blades or vanes extending from each end of the body portion, andcounterweights on one blade of each pair of blades or vanes.

4.' The combination With a vertical drive shaft,l anda horizont-al shaft at the upper end thereof, of a Wind Wheel having` afbody portion provided with a horizontal bearing at itsv intermediate portion supported on the' horizontal shaft, and a pair of inclined and angularly disposedy blades or vanes ex tendingfrom "each end of the body portion.

5. The combination With a vertical drive shaft, and =a horizontalshaft at the upper end thereof, of a Wind Wheel havingahorizontal bearing at its intermediate portion supported on the horizontal shaft, kinclined blades or vanes extending from the ends of' the, body portion, and said body portion at a right `angle and adapted to engage the vertical shaft to limit the turning movement of the Wind Wheel on the horizontal shaft,

6. The combination with a vertical drive shaft, and a horizontal shaftat the upper end thereof, of a Wind Wheel having a horizontal bearing at its intermediate portion supported on the `horizontal shaft,

inclined blades or vanes extending fromthe endsv of the body portion, said body portion bent at a right .angle and adapted to vengage the vertical shaft to limit the turning movement of the Wind Wheel on the horizontal shaft, and counterweights 0n the endsk of certain-of said blades or Yvanes.

GEORGE VAIL. 

